Library Camp 2011

Library Camp was fantastic, and I wish more people had come to it. It was an opportunity to let our hair down a little, kick some ideas around, and get to know other librarians and info professionals in a more relaxed setting than a symposium. I was fortunate to have booked extra time on the end of my trip to Perth for NLS5, which allowed me to attend, even though I hadn't known the date in advance. It took place in several rooms at the State Library of WA.

Library Camp was an "unconference," meaning it was loosely organised - date, venue, food, attendees and rough schedule. The topics and speakers were chosen on the day. To my surprise, I bounded down the stairs of the auditorium (fuelled by coffee!) and took the microphone. My suggestion was to discuss ideas for connecting librarians around the world, and it made the final cut of topics. And so it was that I found myself chairing a session in a full boardroom.

Along with the professional topics, the most popular was work/life balance. Hoi (better known as @librarianhoi) brought buttons, half-finished owls, and other crafty bits, and several of us sewed together over lunch. Other topics included literacy, PLNs (personal learning networks), e-books, blogging, QR codes, building a better web presence, and the GLBTQ community in libraries.

Next year, I'll be involved in "unorganising" Library Camp in Brisbane!

The Learning Professional

One of the reasons I’m so excited about becoming an information professional is the culture of lifelong learning. The librarians I’ve met seem to be enthusiastic and passionate, but cautious to a degree. They blend the academic with the creative, and traditional methods with bold new technologies. They’re always evolving, learning, teaching – which is something I’d like to aspire to.

Learning isn’t just about evidence-based practice, though that’s part of it, according to panellist Fiona Winston-Brown (Redcliffe & Caboolture medical libraries). It’s about experience, experimenting, developing your skills, and taking opportunities when you can. Jen Thomas (QUT) and Nova Watson (QUT, Rock n Roll Hall of Fame intern) encouraged thoughtful practice and out-of-the-box thinking. Jen’s position at SLQ allowed her the latitude to play within a physical and digital space. Displaying books by subject rather than Dewey proved popular with SLQ’s patrons. Jen was also able to push branding, promotional materials, and magazine subscriptions within the bounds of the APAC Design Library Project. I’d love to bring my marketing experience into the library, and design a program or space with patrons in mind.

Nova and Kate Davis (QUT lecturer & social media guru) emphasised that professional development is everyone’s responsibility, and it’s vital to be proactive. I’ve taken that advice to heart this semester, and have been mining (and contributing to) my PLN as I build up my network. Professional development has been a strong focus for me, from conferences to practicums to twitter and an article for InCite (January 2012). Kate says it’s important to contribute to the profession as learning professionals, and suggests reading to gain general knowledge, learn about current events, and predict trends.

I’ll be soaking up all the experiences I can, making connections, and sharing what I learn with other students and contacts. I don’t intend to stop learning once I have my Masters, either – as Nova says, graduation is only the start. I’m looking forward to putting theory into practice in my future career, and discovering new capabilities as a learning professional.

Workshop 5 - August 22 2011

MBTI: Understanding Who I Am

INFP - Introvert, Intuitive, Feeling, Perceiving.

I have done the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) several times over the last fifteen years, and I've always come out INFP. My type is representative of a small percentage of the general population - about 2% - and is sometimes called the Dreamer or Idealist.

It was strange to have an INN632 workshop on MBTI so early in the semester, before we all knew each other, because the test's results are quite personal. Because I had done the test many times before, and because I knew most of the cohort present, it didn't bother me - but I know it bothered others. (And now I have exhibited a typical sign of an INFP - worry over others' feelings.) In a professional setting, MBTI testing may not always be appropriate. Employees who are uncomfortable with sharing personal details may find it confronting, or out of place in a work setting. However, it can be useful as a way of learning a team's collective and individual skills, strengths, and weaknesses, and using that knowledge to manage the team's interactions. Of course, the manager would need to be sensitive to the individual, and take care not to immediately put a person into a box based on their personality type.

Some of the suggested careers for INFPs are ones I considered for myself - social worker, writer, teacher. I feel confident that my personality is suited to becoming a librarian, as well, and a career test I did with Centrelink in 2010 put 'librarian' in my top results.

In the MBTI workshop, we had a demonstration by different types that showed how they would deal with firing someone, and the results were quite amusing because it was obvious which type each person was. Next, we got into groups and were asked to lead a discussion on a topic of our choice, and had a finite number of paperclips each, which we surrendered whenever we contributed to the conversation. I was the one to suggest travel, knowing that most of the people in my group would have something to add. I used most of my paperclips to prompt other, more shy, members of our group into speaking. Even though I am classed as Introverted, I'm not automatically shy in a group of people I know.

It was an interesting workshop, and I can see the merits of MBTI in a professional setting. However, I think it may alienate some people, particularly new employees. The results could be used inappropriately by management or manipulative coworkers who read up on the types and misuse the knowledge of a colleague's personality. On the positive side, it could be used to reach someone on their level, not unlike teaching a new skill to a person according to their preferred mode of learning - auditory, visual or tactile. I do not believe there is a clear argument for or against the use of MBTI testing in the workplace - it should be considered on a case-by-case basis. It has helped me understand who I am and why I see the world the way I do, and I will likely continue to test myself every few years out of curiosity.

Workshop 4 - August 8, 2011

Legal & Ethical Issues for the LIS Professional

Workshop 6 - October 17, 2011

The wiki at http://schoollibraries2011.wikispaces.com/ emphasises that access to a well-funded, well-resourced school library is an equity issue. It's a place where concerned teachers, parents and librarians can come and express their opinions on what matters in school libraries. I've heard of several schools in Canada who have lost their teacher-librarians this year, so equity of service and available staff is definitely a contemporary issue. Another hot topic is the comparatively low literacy levels in Australia. Funding has been requested from the government to facilitate research in that area.

Sue Hutley of ALIA pointed to the Issues & Advocacy page on the ALIA site as a resource all librarians and LIS students should be familiar with. As librarians, we need to take a neutral stance, and consider the legal and ethical ramifications of our interactions with patrons and information. Running cybersafety programs in conjunction with Google and Yahoo is one way the library can assist its patrons in understanding privacy issues and the legalities of an online presence. Legal and ethical issues can arise in collections development, privacy concerns, government publications, and the development and implementation of best practices.

Ready access to information is a complex and relevant issue for LIS professionals. Professor Anne Fitzgerald spoke about copyright issues, and emphasised that openness is essential to innovation. It struck me that restricted information can be a barrier to those without access - for instance, journal subscriptions or image galleries - and these barriers can impede collective learning. So, how can we encourage others to make their work more readily available? It's difficult to discern the provenance of images and text online, without adherence to copyright by all parties. I've learned a little of copyright rules and creative commons licensing this semester, but it's something I'll need to keep up to date with.